Led by flamboyant opener Chris Gayle, who thumped 50 runs off 34 balls, the West Indies wasted little time polishing off Pakistan by seven wickets. Photo: Rui Vieira/AP

Steve Waugh: West Indies will provide realistic gauge for Australia

Jun 3, 2019

Share this article:

LONDON – Steve Waugh has warned Australia that the West Indies’ array of stroke-makers and aggressive bowlers will pose the first serious threat to the World Cup holders.

Former Australia captain Waugh was impressed with the no-nonsense way his country defeated minnows Afghanistan by seven wickets in their opening match on Saturday.

But the 54-year-old believes the West Indies will provide a much sterner test when they meet at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Led by flamboyant opener Chris Gayle, who thumped 50 runs off 34 balls, the West Indies wasted little time polishing off Pakistan by seven wickets after bowling them out for 105 in their first match.

It was an impressive show of strength from the two-time champions, and Waugh is intrigued to see how Australia fare against one of the tournament’s most talented but unpredictable teams.

“The West Indies will provide a more realistic gauge on how the team are tracking, for they possess a squad full of match-winners that can dominate if they gain any sense of ascendancy in a match,” Waugh wrote in a column on the International Cricket Council’s media page.

“They are the most watchable team in the tournament, with a batting line-up that can kidnap any bowling attack with brute force.

“No ground is big enough when this behemoth of a batting order clicks into overdrive, but they also have a vulnerability against high-quality bowling as they tend to play one-dimensional at times.”